Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

About the bus.

Du Wei had felt something was off about it before, it didn't quite seem like an Evil Spirit but was more terrifying than one, to the extent that even the Evil Spirits that boarded had to follow its rules.

Based on that, one thing became hard to understand.

What was the purpose of the Evil Spirits taking this bus, and what did it signify?

One might even say it was entirely unnecessary.

But looking at the nun struggling inside the bus, trying to smash through the doors to escape without any ability to resist, left Du Wei feeling a shiver run down his spine.

The bus taken by the Evil Spirits, all of the rules seemed to be targeting them, the Evil Spirits did not want to get on, but couldn't help it.

"I can't understand…"

He let out a breath, watching the thumping against the door grow fainter and fainter until it stopped completely, at which point the bus slowly drove away.

He then turned his head, looking around.

Just like the Evil Spirit he'd forcibly made to get off earlier, the place where he disembarked now did not have a platform either.

Surrounding him were vast wheat fields, rain still pouring down.

Du Wei thought for a moment, put the ring into his wallet, and slipped it back into his pocket.

He then took out his phone and checked the time online.

It was May 25th, Tuesday, 12:03 AM.

A full day and more had passed since he boarded the bus.

This kind of time discrepancy had happened before, only last time it was exactly one day, boarding the bus at 8 PM and getting off at 8 PM.

The screen showed a total of 28 missed calls and 32 texts.

Some of them were from Father Tony and James, suggesting that they had managed to trap that head in a box, but all three were gravely injured, receive the text and reply quickly, etc...

The rest were all from Alex.

Du Wei looked at the screen with a complicated gaze, tinged with an inexplicable quality.

Just as he was about to reply, he heard a rustling noise, as if something was moving in the darkness.
Continue your adventure at empire

Beneath the mask, he frowned and turned his head towards the wheat field.

The deluge continued to pour over the field, surrounded by darkness pressing in from all sides, and the chill the cold air brought was the most uncomfortable.

In Spirit Vision mode, he saw there was a Scarecrow in the wheat field with ragged clothes on and wearing a straw hat.

It was an Evil Spirit...

...

In the midst of the downpour, Du Wei walked calmly along the expansive road with an umbrella in hand.

On both sides were the endless wheat fields, the rustling sounds never ceasing, something lurking within like a venomous snake readied to strike.

The GPS position indicated this was a piece of abandoned farmland in the southern part of Yard City.

A ghastly incident had occurred here a few years ago; only fragmented information was available online.

The details were—A mysterious killer had murdered the owner of the farm, his family of seven all turned into mummified corpses, arranged in the wheat field perhaps to scare off certain birds, yet the point of this act could also be a pathological motivation to kill.

He glanced over the information on his screen, pondering for a moment.

The information he found seemed related to Evil Spirits, but whether the ones who killed the family of seven were the Scarecrows or the mysterious killer remained unknown.

Du Wei leaned towards the former, but he didn't delve into the depths, as it wasn't important.

He was an Exorcist, a hunter, but certainly not a detective.

If he encountered weaker Evil Spirits, he wouldn't mind dealing with them or taking them home, but if he came across stronger Evil Spirits, he wouldn't hesitate to turn and leave.

The Scarecrows weren't very scary, at most on par with the one that had crawled into Andrew Dowqui's skin.

However, as they were in the wheat field, Du Wei couldn't possibly go after them.

That would undoubtedly put him in an uncertain danger.

Moreover, some of his gear had nearly all been used up; better not to provoke if unnecessary.

With that thought, he composed a text to let Father Tony know that he was safe.

Then, he flipped his contact list back to the top.

The first contact was Alex.

"Today is her birthday, and I haven't missed it, but how should I explain to her that I completely lost contact with the outside world for an entire day?"

"Perhaps, I should be honest with her?"

Du Wei felt a headache coming on.

Honestly, he could just tell Alex that he was actually an Exorcist, busy every day fighting against Evil Spirits and breaking curses.

But that would only make things more complicated.

It was uncertain whether Alex would start encountering some bizarre incidents.

In this world, most people are unaware of the existence of Evil Spirits, including Officer Tom.

If it weren't for the fact that his recent cases were all about Evil Spirit killings, his superior would certainly not have told him the truth.

In a sense, the less you know, the happier you are...

Because you don't need to be afraid, to be fearful, even when faced with the occasional Evil Spirit incident, there are Exorcists who will try to solve it.

The world isn't that desperate...

So Du Wei thought it would be better not to tell Alex.

Only, by doing so, he would have to consider how to lie reasonably.

"This is a headache..."

Du Wei sighed and continued walking.

According to the electronic map, about one kilometer ahead, he would reach the main road, and if he was lucky, perhaps he would encounter a passing vehicle.

However, that was on the condition that the Scarecrows on both sides of the wheat fields would behave.

"It's best not to come out from the wheat field... it's not safe..."

His voice was indifferent, as if addressing both himself and those Scarecrows.

At the moment, he had not removed his mask, walking in the storm, appearing all the more eerie.

Under the state of Spirit Vision, he could clearly sense some chilly gazes lingering on him from the wheat fields on both sides of the road.

But it seemed they were wary of something and didn't act against Du Wei, just followed him closely.

They were like hunters hidden in the shadows, always waiting for the opportunity.

But who was the hunter and who was the prey, only Du Wei knew.

Right now, he had the mask, the ring, and a lighter he could use.

This lighter, rather passive when dealing with Evil Spirits, was exceptionally useful against Scarecrows...

Now, his entire Right Hand had undergone Evil Spirit Transformation and it was even spreading towards his chest.

Evil Spirit Transformation was a result of having Spirit Vision.

Spirit Vision, in turn, was the product of being eroded by Evil Spirits.

The more he came into contact with terrible Evil Spirits, the more severe the erosion would become.

Every time he got off the bus, the erosion of Du Wei would deepen.

He had a feeling that once this round of Evil Spirit Transformation was over, perhaps he wouldn't be so passive when facing some less terrifying Evil Spirits.

However, it would take some time.

...

After about fifteen minutes.

Du Wei reached the front of the main road; the wheat fields beside him had come to an end and started to thin out.

The Scarecrows ultimately didn't jump out and slowly disappeared.

At this time, a truck drove by.

Du Wei stole a glance, and under the state of Spirit Vision, he didn't see anything unusual.

Then, he removed his mask, exited the Evil Spirit Transformation, and waved his hand towards the other party.